Calendar given as gift by Marie-Antoinette could fetch £10,000 at auction

Fellows are delighted to offer a Louis XV era calendar for sale in the inaugural Fine Jewellery auction on Thursday 21st March. The diamond and mother-of-pearl calendar, dated 1774 was given out at court by Louis Dauphin and Marie-Antoinette Dauphine. It was given as a token of friendship to the court by the royals to celebrate the New Year. Louis XVI (at this point, Dauphin for another year) was known to give out gold snuff boxes and these ornately decorated calendars.

It was bought by the current owner in the Collection Marie-Antoinette at Christie’s in Paris, on 3rd November 2015. The auction had a total price realised of €707,988. The calendar was also previously exhibited at the Palace of Versailles in 1955. Louis-Auguste (Dauphin) and Marie-Antoinette were the last King and Queen of France, eventually being executed during the French Revolution.

A Louis XV gold, diamond and mother-of-pearl calendar

With an estimate of £6,000 – £8,000, the calendar is one of many highlights included in the sale on Thursday 21st March. It has been an exciting time for Fellows Auctioneers with the introduction of a new free bidding platform (Fellows Live) and a fresh Fine Jewellery auction. The Fine Jewellery sale will take place six times over the course of a year, replacing Fellows’ previous Antique & Modern Jewellery auctions. The Fine Jewellery sale will consist of around 500 lots, including elegant and high-end jewellery, ranging from designer to historically beautiful pieces.

Nicola Whittaker, from Fellows Auctioneers, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer such a historically interesting piece in Fellows’ inaugural Fine Jewellery auction. This calendar was given out by Louis Dauphin, later Louis XVI, and his wife Marie-Antoinette to members of their court. Louis was known for giving extravagant gifts to his friends and that this calendar contains birthdays, social events and astrological information makes it very sentimental. This is the first time this piece has come to auction within the UK and we are excited to bring it to a British market given the recent surge in popularity of pieces connected to the couple.”

Fellows is expecting a lot of interest in this piece, given its connection to Marie-Antoinette. After all, Marie-Antoinette’s pearls broke world records at Sotheby’s Geneva auction at the end of last year.

The Fine Jewellery sale is now available to view online and in person at the following times:
12 March 2019 12noon – 7pm (London)
16 March 2019 11am – 4pm (Birmingham)
19 March 2019 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
20 March 2019 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
21 March 2019 8.30am – 10am (Birmingham)
Photo ID is required